The Elusive Not-An-Owl

While today’s subject may look like an owl, it’s actually a much closer relative to the Nightjar, and behaves more like a mix between a possum and a skunk. That’s right, I actually did some research on these weirdos. I can finally do more than ramble on about pointless things. Now I can ramble on about wildlife no one’s ever heard of!

If I remember correctly, these dudes live in Australia. While we’re on the subject, is it just me, or does Australia have an abundance of big-headed birds? Kookaburras, Frogmouths, Kingfishers… It’s probably just me. Anyway… While the Tawny Frogmouth hunts at night like owls, rather than swooping in to catch prey with its talons, the Frogmouth actually attacks with its beak. I would hate to see what happens if they overestimate their clearance. I guess you can figure it out if you see the bottom half of one sticking out of the ground. But I digress...

Like most wild birds, the Tawny Frogmouth has naturally colored and patterned plumage to help it blend in with its surroundings. Their natural defense against predators is to snap their eye shut, hold stock still, and try to blend in with the tree bark in the hopes that they won’t be seen (kind of like me all through high school). In the event that a potential predator doesn’t fall for this disappearing act, they will open their mouths wide in an effort to scare the danger away. In this way, they’re actually much like Bearded Dragons. If this tactic does not relieve the stranger danger and it seems to pose a genuine threat, the Tawny Frogmouth will release a foul odor to deter it’s attacker. This is why they are sometimes referred to as the “Skunks of the Sky.”

So there you have it, the Tawny Frogmouth, as researched and paraphrased by me. I hope to do more posts like this in the future since it’s fun to learn about wildlife. Animals do some pretty crazy stuff, so it’s a great way to supplement my drawing practice with actual knowledge. I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to sharing more soon.

Until next time!

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